Kansas City firefighter loses part of his leg but is called a 'hero". Police say Jeff Smith's actions likely spared the lives of a child & her mother.
Check out FireTruckBlog.com for a more extensive interiew with police & the little girl’s grandfather
Kansas City, Missouri Fire Apparatus Operator Jeffrey Smith lost the lower part of his leg after the engine he was driving hit a tree and a utility pole just a short distance from Station 42. Police say Smith made the choice to swerve to the right to avoid running over the vehicle that crossed the center line and caused the wreck. Inside that car, a mother and her 3-year-old daughter, who police say was not secured in a car seat.
From WDAF-TV:
“(He) went very hard to the right side of the road to avoid a head on collision with this woman’s vehicle,” said Sgt. Bill Mahoney of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. “There’s probably a pretty good chance that she and the 3 year old who was improperly restrained would have been seriously injured or killed.”
Police arrested the mother and held her in jail overnight. She has been released and charges are pending.
Glenn Usdin’s FireTruckBlog.com, which first brought us this story Tuesday, has more details, including an interview with the grandfather of the little girl. Click here.
